


Zoo Animals and Holoforms

by coolpointsetta



Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: A little bit of angst, Family Fluff, Fluff, Just a Drop, M/M, Wrecker Family, Wrecker Husbands, and get confused with zoo animals, and happiness, bulkhead deserves a hug, cause hes a looker, the autobots master their holoforms, too the zoo we go, wheeljack gets hit on by a bunch of old ladies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-17 21:14:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29847576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolpointsetta/pseuds/coolpointsetta
Summary: Bulkhead and Wheeljack have finally mastered their holoforms, and they decide to take them for a spin at the Nevada Public Zoo. The brain cells are lacking but their heart's in the right place.
Relationships: Bulkhead & Miko Nakadai, Bulkhead/Wheeljack (Transformers), Miko Nakadai & Wheeljack
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	Zoo Animals and Holoforms

**Author's Note:**

> Woooo-hooo! Back on my Bulkjack bullshit hehe ;) It's been too long since I've written my favorite metal husbands and they deserve some more love if I do say so myself. 
> 
> Also a little update on my works in general: I've got a few big projects planned but until I get those finalized I've got a few one-shots to also put out there. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy and stay happy, healthy and safe!

When Ratchet had woken everyone up in the middle of the night screaming bloody murder that he'd just cracked the genetic code on how to create holoforms, everyone was very excited (and tired. Because Primus Ratchet there had to have been a better time for this). 

Creating a holoform was a difficult and complex art that had been perfected by few, and those few had never shared their secrets with anyone, Autobot or Decepticon. Mostly for reasons unknown, but despite being called hoarders or old-fashioned or any other slur under the sun, they never told their secrets. 

Even Optimus, who carried the wisdom of the Primes, had no idea how to create a holoform of himself.

Ratchet had figured out the solution at an unnatural hour of two in the morning, and after a difficult day of fighting and patrols, Bulkhead hadn't been sure he'd even heard right. 

But then the old doctor had shown them that he'd already entered the code into himself, and seeing Ratchet as a cranky old _human_ man was terrifying enough to make Bulkhead believe anything. 

And so, Ratchet had put the codes in all of them so they could try it out for themselves. 

Arcee, Ultra Magnus, Bumblebee, and Optimus had gotten it right away, but for Smokescreen, Bulkhead and Wheeljack it had taken a longer period of time, so they decided to simply try again in the morning. 

When the kids had come over after school only to see the Bots all in human form, they also just about lost their shit. 

For the first half of their time together, the kids had just taken in the Bots transforming from Bot to human in complete and total awe, and Jack had half jokingly ask if Ratchet could add something to their genes so they could also go from Human to Bot at will. 

Ratchet had laughed in his face, then went to go study a little more about human genetics to see if it was possible.

The second half of the day was spent trying to figure out what to do in their new forms. It was determined that there was no time limit - meaning there was no rule that suggested they only had three hours max or something in their human forms before they changed back or something random like that - so Jack had suggested they should ground bridge to anywhere in the world and see what the world was really like. 

Everyone (except Ultra Magnus, but he came around eventually) had been on board immediently, and they agreed that as long as they kept their comms on in case of danger, they could take the day off to experience the real in and outs of a human lifestyle. 

The kids had each taken their respective Bots, while Ultra Magnus, Ratchet and Optimus decided they would go on their own little adventure, somewhere in Japan Optimus said that he'd always wanted to see, and Ultra Magnus Ratchet was more than happy to tag along. 

Jack, Smokescreen and Arcee had bridged away a while ago to go New York during the day so they could experience the hustle and bustle of a real city (because Jasper wasn't exactly a party as Jack always said). 

Raf and Bumblebee had bridged to Washington to see the ocean, giant ferry and fish market. From his last text, Raf had said they were going on a ferry boat to try and see some whales. 

And for Miko, Bulkhead and Wheeljack? Despite both of their votes to go to a demolition derby or pro-wrestling match, Miko had insisted upon something else.

"The _zoo_?" Bulkhead asked, a little flabbergasted to say the least. He'd never heard of a zoo before, not even on Cybertron. "What is that?" 

"It's a _zoo_ ," Miko stated as if that was supposed to clear it up. "you know, a place where they have a whole bunch of animals from all across the world so people can experience them or whatever."

"Isn't that kinda bad?" Wheeljack asked, hand on his hip. He was still in his Bot form since the holoform wasn't coming as easy to him. 

Bulkhead, on the other hand, was already in his human form. He was a tall, burly dark skinned man with a kind smile and dimples; someone you could trust with your life is how Miko described him. Upon looking at himself in the mirror, Bulkhead decided that was the best possible compliment he could have received. 

"What do you mean?" Miko asked, putting her hair up in her signature pig tails and pony. 

"To have a whole bunch of animals trapped in cages. Seems a little inhumane to me." Wheeljack said, his voice skeptical. 

"Yeah, I see what you mean. But don't worry, this is a rehabilitation zoo, where all the animals are rescued and released back into the wild if they can be. They're very well taken care of, I've helped care for them myself a few times!" Miko exclaimed, bouncing on her heels. 

Wheeljack raised an optic ridge but waved her off. He looked down at Bulkhead and smirked, crouching down and reaching forward to gently poke at the Autobot turned human. 

"Look at how cute he is," Wheeljack taunted, tickling Bulkhead's belly as best he could with his giant hands. It felt a little strange to be the big guy in the relationship now, but he wasn't complaining. "my little Bulk." 

"Stop it Jackie," Bulkhead slapped the metal digit coming towards him. He ignored Wheeljack's raised optic ridge as the sound of an ugly _slap_ of metal hitting hand was head, but Bulkhead tried to play it off like it was nothing. 

It wasn't nothing. His hand hurt like a bitch. 

"Wheeljack! Go get changed so we can go!" Miko demanded, stomping a foot for some dramatic effect.

Wheeljack stuck his glossa out at the young girl, but made his way towards the back room to try and change again. 

Bulkhead watched him leave - he noticed as Wheeljack intentionally swung his hips a little bit more, knowing there was nothing Bulkhead could do about it - and grumbled under his breath despite the butterflies in his stomach. 

God, did he love Wheeljack. Flirty, annoying attitude and all. 

"Okay, now we still gotta teach you how to drive a normal car." Miko drew Bulkhead's attention back, and he reluctantly turned around to face the hunk of junk that was sitting in the entrance to the garage. 

They'd been at this whole 'driving a normal car thing' for a while, but for some reason despite being a very good driver when he was in vehicle mode, Bulkhead could not for the life of him figure out how to drive a normal car. 

Which was weird, since it shouldn't have been any different, but having fingers and toes that wiggled and dimples on his cheeks was already creeping poor Bulkhead out, so it made a little more sense than driving without physically _being the car_ would be a little strange for a while. 

Maybe Wheeljack would have better luck than he was having. Bulkhead would still be willing to drive, but if they wanted to make it to the zoo before it closed or without an accident, it would be better Wheeljack figure it out. 

So Bulkhead and Miko did their best to figure it out, as Miko would explain what each thing did and quizzing Bulkhead on it every now and then just to make sure he remembered. 

He was doing much better, but couldn't remember where the key went, since that was one of the things that didn't translate over from his vehicle mode. 

"So, what do you think?" 

All of his former problems about worrying how to drive or what a zoo was like melted away as he saw Wheeljack in his new holoform standing in front of him, hands on his hips and a proud smirk on his lips. 

Wheeljack was very bit as handsome in human form as he was in bot form, from his high cheekbones dashed with a few tiny scars to his sleek gray and black hair and muscular frame. The Autobot was dressed in black jeans that hugged all the right places and a white, red and green zip-up jacket. 

"Breathe, idiot," Miko rolled her eyes and pretended to gag as the two lovers became lost in their own moment. 

"The kid's right, Bulk." Wheeljack sneered, walking over and patting Bulkhead's cheek with his hand. They both nearly jumped at the sensation of it; touching a real cheek with a real hand was so much different than metal on metal. 

"Okay love birds, let's get a move on!" Miko demanded, gesturing to the car doors she'd opened. "We don't got all day!" 

"Yeah, yeah." Wheeljack lowered himself in the driver's seat and Bulkhead glared as Miko took the passenger, forcing him to reside in the back. 

"Let's go see some animals!" Bulkhead cried out excitedly. Miko joined in with a proud cry of her own, and Wheeljack turned on the heavy metal music to listen to as they drove. 

Surprisingly, the drive there was actually very smooth. In bot form, Wheeljack was almost worse than Bumblebee and Smokescreen when it came to tickets or ignoring most of the traffic laws (and by most that meant all. All of them. He knew what they meant, he just chose to ignore them). 

But the entirety of the drive was spent obeying all laws; stopping at stop signs, making sure to watch his speed, etc. etc. until they arrived at the zoo. 

They paid and got in without a hitch, and Miko walked them through the front door with a big smile on her face. 

Bulkhead had expected a lot of things, but this certainly wasn't it.

The area they walked into was an open one, with people walking all around them. He could see a train station with a little mini train about to leave, its tiny little horn blowing for the final call. There was a large Ferris Wheel beside it, and Bulkhead had been dreaming of riding one of those since he'd first seen one when they'd arrived on Earth. 

There were Ferris Wheels on Cybertron of course, but something about the ones on Earth made him really want to give it a try. 

To the right, Bulkhead could read signs that were pointing to each exhibit that included little pictures of the animals.

But the _smell_. Oh god, it was terrible. 

"Oh scrap, what _is_ that?!" Wheeljack gagged, plugging his nose and flapping his hand around as if that was going to do him any good. "The Doc really should've warned us that these holoforms come with increased smell." 

"Those are the penguins!" Miko announced, running through a few people and towards the first little enclosure of animals. 

Wheeljack and Bulkhead shared a confused look, and in their eyes they silently asked the other if it was too late to leave. 

"Get over here!" Miko's call drew them across the way and towards the 'penguins'. 

Wheeljack stared blankly at the tiny white and black… _things_ that were hoping on the small rocks and diving through the water at impressive speed. 

"What the hell are those," Wheeljack got as close to the railing as he could, trying to reach out and touch one. Miko yanked his arm back and pointed to the sign that very obviously read 'Please do not feed or touch the animals'. 

Wheeljack grumbled and went back to staring. 

"Like I said, these are penguins." Miko repeated. "The ones with the blue tag on their ankle are the ones that will be released later on."

"Why did they need to be brought into the zoo in the first place?" Bulkhead asked as he watched one of the penguins hop out of the water and shake himself off. He was completely mesmerized at the moment. 

"Maybe they were caught in a net, or swallowed a fish hook, or caught in an oil spill or something, but I know that this zoo has top notch surgeons and vets that were able to help them out." Miko explained. She pointed again. "The ones with the yellow tags are the ones who'll have to stay here for the rest of their lives. Like that one only has one leg, and that one is missing a part of his beak. His name is Raul." 

Raul looked like the most badass penguin Wheeljack had ever seen, and he was seriously contemplating jumping into the enclosure to take him. 

Bulkhead grabbed onto his shoulder and yanked him back before he even took a step forward. 

Without realizing, Bulkhead had pulled a little too far back and caused Wheeljack to stumble backwards into a group of old ladies who were passing by. They all gasped and looked about ready to rip Wheeljack a new one, but they paused when they laid eyes on Wheeljack's handsome face. 

Bulkhead's fists balled in anger and Miko had to step in front of him. 

"Well, I was going to say watch where you're going, but you can run into me any time, dear." One of the ladies said, batting her eyes and giggling. Her friends beside her groaned and tried to push her out of the way, while Wheeljack awkwardly stood there and chuckled, hands raised. 

Miko couldn't stop her chuckle as one of the old ladies wacked the other over the head with her cane, and one of her friends responded by taking her walker and hitting her legs. 

"This is gonna be me, Jack and Raf someday, just you wait." Miko whispered to Bulkhead in an attempt to ease his tension, but he barely heard her. 

"Listen, ladies, I'm flattered and all, but -" Wheeljack tried to say but was interrupted. 

"Oh don't listen to Doreen, she's always been a little forward. Ignore her, talk to me." A light gray haired lady said. 

"Oh shut up Kathy, you've got Mark." 

"Mark will understand. Besides, it's not like he remembers who I am half the time anyway." 

"Listen ladies," Miko grabbed onto Bulkhead and Wheeljack's hand and intertwined their fingers, both of the Autobot's faces turning bright red. "they're very much taken."

The ladies gasped and Bulkhead was half expecting some sort of speech, but they all grumbled and looked extremely disappointed. 

"I always tell you Mary; the good ones are either taken or gay." 

"Mary, can it will ya. They can hear, unlike you, you old deaf hag." 

"You all have a nice day!" The lady named Doreen said. "Sweetheart, you really have some great parents." She complimented before she and the old ladies made their way along the path and towards the next exhibit. 

"Phew!" Miko slumped before bursting out into laughter, holding her stomach as she shook from her chuckles. She wiped an imaginary tear from her eye as she looked up. "You know, I never expected either of you to get hit on by old ladies, but here we are." 

Wheeljack only looked mildly uncomfortable, but Bulkhead was still tense by his side. Wheeljack glance up at him, concerned. 

"Everythin' alright, Bulk?" The wrecker asked, squeezing Bulkhead's hand. Bulkhead blinked and his head, the angry creases on the sides of his eyes fading as he looked down at Wheeljack. 

"Yeah, sure Jackie. Everything's great!" Bulkhead said, a little too much fake enthusiasm in his voice. Wheeljack gave him a suspicious look, but Bulkhead worked to ease his worries further and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. "Don't worry about me, okay? Let's just look at more crazy animals." 

Wheeljack wasn't convinced, but he was forced to look away as Bulkhead turned his back and began pushing him up the hill to follow Miko.

The rest of the day was more fun than Wheeljack or Bulkhead had had in a long time, seeing all the strange animals and even feeding a few of them. 

Wheeljack had tried to catch the annoying little 'peacocks' that would not shut up, but no matter how hard he tried the stupid little birds always evaded him. Bulkhead and Miko had laughed their asses off as Wheeljack jumped into the bush to go after one, and when people asked if he was alright they simply responded with it was normal. 

Bulkhead's personal favorite animals were all of the ones kept in the Nocturnal Enclosure, like the bats or armadillos or little foxes. They all seemed so sweet and soft, and Bulkhead noticed sadly that most of them had yellow tags, but at least they were being taken care of. 

Wheeljack's favorite animals was strangely the elephants and hippos, and he had to be dragged away from the new baby elephant that had just been rescued from poachers in Africa. 

"What kind of a name is Moto-Moto?" Wheeljack stared blankly at the sign that was labeled for the lone hippo in the large enclosure. The sign also said not to worry and that he wasn't lonely; he was just sick and the zookeepers didn't want his illness spreading to the others. 

"The best name _ever_!" Miko gushed as she looked into the hippo's enclosure. "He's so handsome, look at him!" 

Bulkhead blinked at the hippo as it farted and the bubbles came to the surface. He was unsure of what made this thing so 'handsome'. 

"We'll have to watch the movie that's from," Miko said, pushing off the railing and moving on. "but for now, the big cats await!" 

"The big what?" Wheeljack said, eagerly following behind Miko. "Are they just overly large house cats?"

"Basically." Miko said as the two of them walked side by side towards the Big Cat enclosure. Bulkhead followed a little farther behind. 

Bulkhead watched sadly as Wheeljack walked past a group of young girls who swooned - one of them took a picture and the others squealed at it - as the Autobot walked by. 

The Wrecker bet if they knew that Wheeljack was a celebrated war hero who'd killed dozens of Decepticons, they'd think differently. But Bulkhead loved Jackie just the same; war crimes and all. 

Bulkhead scoffed as he passed them and they didn't even look up. He tried not to think about it too much, and jogged to catch up to Wheeljack and Miko. 

The Big Cats were pretty damn cool: there were tigers, lions, jaguars, and even a black panther. 

Miko explained that nearly all the Big Cats were otherwise debilitated, there were a few blind and deaf young ones and there were a few others who'd lost their legs to traps out in the wild, but she assured them they were getting the best possible treatment they could. 

Miko introduced them to Jogger, the black panther, who was blind. He was the most magnificent animal Bulkhead had ever seen, with his sleek black pelt and his clouded gray eyes. 

Jogger walked past the glass a few times, his paw-steps carefully traced out over the ground. Bulkhead could see his ears and nose twitching as he used his other senses to navigate and avoid the rock wall on either side of his enclosure effortlessly. 

Jogger had been walking past them when suddenly he stopped and turned, his blind eyes staring out at Bulkhead and Wheeljack. The black panther sat down and peered at them, trying to sniff them through the glass. 

"You think he knows?" Wheeljack asked, but Bulkhead didn't reply; he was too busy staring back at the magnificent animal. 

After a few moments, Jogger seemed to get bored and moved on, walking back into his corner and laying down to take a nice nap. 

"Hey, wait! There's my friend from school!" Miko cried out, waving obnoxiously to a girl who was looking at the lions. "Hey, Ashley!" 

Miko dashed off to go talk with her friend before neither Bulkhead or Wheeljack could catch her, but they both shrugged and deemed it was alright. Miko did have a life outside of them, after all. 

Wheeljack chuckled as Miko tackled her friend in a massive hug, but rolled his eyes when Bulkhead didn't join in. 

"Okay, that's it. What's your problem Bulk?" 

"Problem?" Bulkhead turned, and had the audacity to be surprised. "I don't have a problem."

"Oh can it. You haven't been yourself since the old ladies hit on me back by the penguins." Wheeljack crossed his arms and tapped his foot, eyebrow raised.

Oh scrap. There was no denying it now, Wheeljack wouldn't let up until he got the answer he liked. 

Bulkhead's shoulders slumped, defeated. "That's just _it_ , Jackie. The old ladies, the group of teenagers outside this exhibit, the group of men who're looking at you right now." 

"Huh?" Wheeljack looked around before spotting a group of men looking at him, waving at him and smirking. 

Normally, Wheeljack would have waved back, but he knew this was not the time. 

"You're good looking, Wheeljack. You could've picked anyone in the world, and yet you chose me. The ugliest, grossest, dumbest mech out there." Bulkhead went on, and Wheeljack waited for him to finish. 

"Everyone loves you, but no one really loves me. In a relationship way, I mean. I'm just everyone's big brother, I'm the guy who can break stuff and build it and smash some Con's skulls. But that's it. No one else gave me the time of day when it came to going out with them. But you did. 

When you joined the Wreckers, you were the first Bot I ever had a relationship with. But now I'm wondering why you think I'm better than anyone else who wanted you."

Wheeljack waited a moment as Bulkhead looked down at his shoes. His breaths were getting a little quick and his hands were balled into fists; either an outburst was coming or even worse, Bulkhead would change back with his emotions out of control like this. 

"You know what I love about you, Bulk?" Wheeljack stepped forward and grabbed onto Bulkhead's fists, relaxing a little as they opened up to accept his. He waited until Bulkhead's beautiful blue eyes were on him to continue. "Your eyes, for starters." 

Bulkhead scoffed and looked away, but Wheeljack guided his face back with his hand. "I'm serious. You know I'd never lie to you." 

And it was true; Wheeljack was many things but a liar wasn't one of them. 

"Your big ol' grin you get when you're fightin' the Cons, that always makes me happy. And your little smile when you solve some of Ratchet's soduku puzzles back at base. And your big, beefy arms and your ability to give great hugs, even though I hate contact."

"You're holding my face right now." 

"Shut up." 

"Okay."

"Anyway, Bulkhead, I love you. No one else. I don't see other people flirting with me 'cause I don't want to flirt with anyone else 'cause I've got you. Someone who understands me and what I do and can give me the space I need when I need it. I love _you_ , Bulkhead." 

Wheeljack reached up on his tip toes and gave Bulkhead a passionate yet quick kiss on the lips, not caring if anyone was watching. 

"Don't you ever forget it, or I'll have to beat it into you." 

"Sure Jackie. Like you've ever been able to beat me in a sparring match." Bulkhead joked, but the happiness was back in his voice. 

"Maybe this'll be the first." 

"Okay, lovebirds break it up!" Miko stepped right in between them, but they held their hands together around her. "We got more animals to see, we don't got time for making out in front of the animals!" 

"Jogger can't even see us." Wheeljack pointed out, jerking his thumb at the now sleeping panther. "He doesn't care." 

"Well I do." Miko rolled her eyes and grabbed each of their free hands and began pulling them along. "Now come on! Fish and turtles and alligators are next!" 

"Whoopie," Bulkhead groaned, but deep down he was really excited. "But we do have to get back to the Ferris Wheel!" 

"Of course!" Miko agreed, leading them towards the doors. "Now come on _dads_ we got things to see!"

Bulkhead locked eyes with Wheeljack who flashed him his signature wink, and he felt much more exited now to see the animals with the love of his life by his side.

**Author's Note:**

> Awww my little robo hubbies at it again 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed, see you later!!


End file.
